The head coach role at Manchester United has been one of the most unenviable in the Premier League for the better part of a decade.
Even those who win trophies will find themselves booted in short order once the tabloids start lambasting performances, which doesn’t take long.
Now, the club has an exceedingly talented and modern manager in Ruben Amorim.
Despite a historical low in the league without even one trophy, the club’s going to stand by this one.
His points per match records at SC Braga (2.38) and Sporting CP (2.29) showcase that his method works, but at United, he only put up 1.40 points per match.
It was reported that the now 40-year-old Portuguese manager didn’t want to join when he did, preferring a fresh slate at the end of the season.
Still, he came, and as MEN relays, he knows it was a really tough season.
In that interview on 24 May, he reiterated, “I know how I want to play, that is clear.”
Amorim was hired because of his style of play, ability to develop players, and eventually build a team that can usurp an entrenched league hierarchy, just as he did in Portugal.
As has been the issues with previous managers, the United hierarchy doesn’t tend to buy players who suit the manager.
That will have to change this summer.
Many Players Need To Adapt
Unfortunately, changing a team isn’t as easy in real life as it is in simulation games.
Amorim is going to be stuck with the glut of his current squad.
For his tactics, which we analysed at TFA on 2 November 2024, he prefers versatile players, those who can facilitate vertical play, and players who will push high up the pitch.
On 25 February 2025, by his 15th game, the NYTimes found that the improved stats barely moved the needle in comparison to Erik ten Hag’s opening nine games.
However, xG, shots, xG per shot, and goals conceded got significantly worse.
Some of this is down to the drastic change in approach.
The rest is almost certainly personnel.
In the current team, the players who appear to actually fit Amorim’s tactical approach would seem to be Bruno Fernandes, who’s talented enough to thrive in almost any setup, Lisandro Martínez, André Onana, Patrick Dorgu, and maybe Manuel Ugarte when he’s fully fit.
There’s a case, from time to time, for Amad Diallo, too.
However, a summer of preparation is expected to better United’s fortunes.
This can be seen in how the race for the top four is expected to go. As of 24 June, Betway had the Red Devils sixth in the odds for a top-four finish at 11/4.
That’s ahead of Aston Villa (100/30), Tottenham Hotspur (9/2), and Nottingham Forest (18/1).
Ahead of United at the time of writing were Newcastle United (5/4) and Chelsea (7/4), with a clear front three of Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City at 1/5.
As of 24 June, United had made one major signing, bringing in a versatile attacker who’s a proven goalscorer in the Premier League, likely boosting their odds.
Drawing From The Archetypes At Sporting
Over four years and 231 games at Sporting CP, Amorim turned the fallen giants and seemingly constant also-rans of the Portuguese top flight into two-time league champions, cup winners, and a real force in the Champions League.
Once he left, the team struggled to adapt for a time, as we reviewed at Total Football Analysis.
However, the team constructed and left by Amorim in late November did eventually rally, following much of the same formula established by Amorim, to go on and win the Liga Portugal again.
Attempts at a 4-4-2 formation were forgotten by mid-February, with 3-4-3 guiding the specialised squad to the title.
It’s the core players of this setup, many of whom might not be too expensive, who should be targeted to at least begin to build the club back to winning ways.
The 30-year-old defensive midfielder Hidemasa Morita looks to be the obvious value buy who excelled under Amorim in an underappreciated role.
You could also look to fellow midfielder Morten Hjulmand, who’s five years younger. Along the backline – long one of United’s most pressing but poorly addressed areas of need – Gonçalo Inácio or Ousmane Diomande would be real coups should they see appeal in moving to Old Trafford.
However, the greatest need for the formation to actually work, as shown in this Tactical Theory piece, is wing-backs.
In a small sample, and often on the wrong side of the pitch, Patrick Dorgu did look like a strong addition.
Diogo Dalot, on the left, looked out of place often, while Noussair Mazraoui put in a good shift from time to time.
Amorim’s approach is so specialised that his fate and the fate of the club will boil down to recruitment.
Some surprise adjustments may be made by the existing cast.
Still, to step up, United need some specialists who are already proven in the way that the manager wants to play.
